The United States Postal Service will be busy this year releasing stamps to attract the interest of fans of Sarah Vaughan, Star Trek, NASA's New Horizons mission, Trucks, Shirley Temple, flowers, soda fountain fans and the holidays - just to name a few.

"Our stamps articulate the American experience through miniature works of art," said Acting Stamp Services Director Mary-Anne Penner. "Our diverse stamp topics for 2016 are sure to appeal to everyone, and with the New Year just around the corner, now is a perfect time to get started in stamp collecting. It's an educational hobby the entire family can enjoy."A few highlightsQuilled Paper Heart: The stamp art features an elegant heart created using the ancient art of quilling. Quilling involves rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, laying them on their edges, and gluing them in place to form intricate designs. The heart shape in the center of the stamp art is made from paper strips of many colors and is surrounded by white paper swirls on a white background. This stamp will be unveiled Jan. 12.Lunar New Year - Year of the Monkey: The issue commemorates the Year of the Monkey. The stamp art features two bright reddish-orange peonies against a purple background. Peonies symbolize wealth and honor in Chinese culture and often decorate the sides of the traditional drums played during the holiday festivities. The stamp design incorporates two elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps: the intricate cut-paper design of a monkey and the Chinese character for "monkey," drawn in grass-style calligraphy. The stamp will be unveiled Feb. 5.Legends of Hollywood: Shirley TemplePets: To celebrate America's love for pets, the postal service will issue a booklet of 20 Forever stamps featuring photographs of 20 pets. Each photograph represents an animal we love from these groups: puppies, betta fish, iguanas, hamsters, goldfish, parrots, guinea pigs, tortoises, rabbits, kittens, corn snakes, mice, hermit crabs, chinchillas, gerbils, dogs, parakeets, horses, cats, and geckos. The photographs were taken by Eric Isselée and Derry Noyes was the art director.Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766: This issuance commemorates the 250th anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act, British legislation that galvanized and united the American colonies and set them on a path toward revolution. The act required payment of a tax on a wide array of paper materials, such as newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, licenses, mortgages, contracts, and bills of sale. A stamp would be embossed on these papers to indicate payment.Star Trek: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the television premiere, the new Star Trek Forever stamps showcase four digital illustrations, inspired by classic elements of the television program. The words "Space… the final frontier," from Captain Kirk's famous voice-over appear beneath the stamps against a background of stars.Pickup trucks: Celebrating the rugged and reliable work vehicles that Americans have driven for nearly a century, each of these four new Forever stamps features iconic models.Nativity: The stamp art depicts a peaceful yet powerful image of the Holy Family silhouetted against the dawn sky. The baby Jesus lies in a straw-filled manger in the center of the picture with Mary kneeling to the right and Joseph standing to the left holding a lantern with a bright star over the scene.